Sabor Khan

CAROLINA PANTHERS HIRE NEW HEAD COACH
The Panthers have hired Sabor Khan, a relatively unknown head coach, in hopes of turning their franchise in the right direction.

Khan immediately brings his own flavor to the NFL candy shop. He features his own offensive and defensive playbook. On offense, the Panthers will now be running an offense being called the "Junglecat Offense", based off the famous Gary Hammermill Michigan Spread. Then on defense the team will be rolling with a D called "Nightwalk", a playbook based on the great Jim Johnson's blitz scheme.

Sabor Khan, pronounced Suh-BORE CON, is of Swahili and Pakistani descent. His father is from Pakistan, his mother from Kenya. Both came to the United States and eventually met each other, fell in love, and got married. Then Aaliyah Khan would give birth to Sabor, their only child. And now both are very proud of their son and his accomplishments.

Sabor is known for being very ambitious but at the same time preferring to confide to himself. He has said he is willing to listen to just about anyone if the "intentions are true and the price is right." He's already being seen as a pretty good analyst, effectively breaking down game film and formulating and adjusting gameplans. Some have also called him a QB master but he simply says "he wants and expects a good QB."

Khan has a lot to prove this year and many are doubting him, and his team for that matter. But we'll see how he does.

TEAM PHILOSOPHY
Mobile/Speed QB- I need a QB that can run my option plays and also scramble when pressured.
Moves HB- Was thinking about Receiving but I figured I could find a good Moves HB that can catch some.
Balanced FB- Almost went blocking, but could be used for option plays, short-yardage rushing, and as a receiving threat out the backfield
Quick/Route Runner WR- Speed is too broad a philosophy. Good route runners typically come with at least average speed.
Playmaker TE- Was going to go Soft Hands/Routes but Playmaker has more of an emphasis on speed.
Pass Blocking OT- Need guys to hold up the outside pass rushers
Run Blocking G- Want maulers on the inside to set up my run plays
Balanced C- Will need to be able to hold up a good DT or NT.

Undersized Speed Rusher DE- All my defensive philosophies are based off the Eagles and their Jim Johnson Blitz defense. It's a 4-3 so my defensive ends are my main pass rushers
Prototype DT- Need good athleticism and good pass rushing here; almost went One-Gap but that's hard to find
Pass Rusher/3-4 Blitzer OLB- Need guys to blitz for me obviously.
Power/Blitzer- Almost went 3-4/Tackler but decided not to. Needs to be a good run stopper
Balanced CB- Orginial philosophy calls for Prototype CB but I went Balanced since it has more emphasis on the actual skill of the CB.
Run Support/Blitzer FS- Want a good run stopper but needs to not be a liability in coverage. Basically, I need my own Brian Dawkins
Balanced SS- No need for two run stopping safeties like the original Jim Johnson Blitz calls for. One is fine.

Balanced K- Good power but accurate too
Big Foot/Distance P- Accuracy does not concern me at punter

Def. Coordinator calling a 4-3 Scheme
Blitz Heavy- Want to get after it; could be toned down to Normal if coverage is weak
Man Coverage- Not exclusively man coverage though

ROSTER LOOK- TEAM LEADERS
WR Steve Smith is the best player on the team at 94 OVR. He's one hell of a target at WR but I need some more good WRs for when Steve is covered...luckily Steve is open more often than not.

OT Jordan Gross is our best linemen...and the best potential FA we could have leaving our team. We will NOT franchise tag Gross but instead let him enter FA with the intentions of outbidding the other pursuers for his services.

LE Julius Peppers is our best defensive player at 90 OVR. We'll be relying on his dominant pass rushing moves to generate pressure, especially from the left side.

LB Jon Beason is a young stuf od a LB. 1 year in the league and he's sitting at 87 OVR right now with 89 potential and that potential doesn't do him justice. He'll be one of the best LBs in the league.

PANTHERS IN HOT PURSUIT OF SAN DIEGO QB JOSH JOHNSON
The Panthers organization have said they plan to draft QB Josh Johnson very early, like 2nd round early. Sabor Khan said of this, "We want to make no mistake. We're getting him." The San Diego prospect would be one of the faster NFL QBs ever and this seems intriguing to the Panthers, who of course have adopted a college-esque spread offense.

PANTHERS WATCH SENIOR ALL-STAR GAME, ATTEND NFL COMBINE
Carolina watched the Senior All-Star Game closely to look for good prospects to get in the upcoming draft. The Panthers seemed interested in several players, most notably halfback Justin Forsett, wide receiver Harry Douglas, defensive end Chris Ellis, defensive tackle Dre Moore, and kicker Alexis Serna. They ended up marking out Forsett and took note of Harry Douglas' shiftiness and word has it they want to draft Harry after watching him. They came away intrigued by Ellis' pass rushing moves but not his ability to get off blocks. They were also very intrigued by Dre Moore's ability but rumor has it Dre is injury-prone which is fending off the Panthers for right now. The Panthers have also made it clear they want Serna at K and have even said they may trade 36-year-old veteran kicker Kasay some time in the future if they can.

But with all these potential prospects, the Panthers will need more picks. So they may be involved in the trading game this offseason.

At the Combine, the Panthers got to talk with potential draft candidate QB Josh Johnson and they were impressed by his stats in the workouts. They also had extended talks with Douglas and finally got to talk with Donnie Avery.

They also were interested in middle line backer Tavares Gooden, taking note of his athletic prowess.

FRANCHISE TAGS
A couple of teams have made use of the franchise tag to keep around one of their key players. The Bengals franchise-tagged RE Justin Smith, the current staple of their defensive line. The Saints want to keep a strong OL together by tagging C Jeff Faine. Seattle has tagged their best corner Marcus Trufant but there's still 2 better corners that are going to be free agents. The Steelers have tagged premier RG Alan Faneca while the Titans tagged premier DT Albert Haynesworth, who is reportedly not happy about it. The Patriots have kept Randy Moss around in hopes of putting together another, hopefully this time successful, Super Bowl run.

PANTHERS GLADLY WIN BID FOR JORDAN GROSS
When Jordan Gross opened up the bidding war for his services, the Panthers pounced and got him back.

They also signed RG Ben Noll and moved Gross to LT. The Panthers are also looking to get SS Kenny Phillips in the draft, which could be why they traded for a 2nd 1st round pick. Phillips is projected to go 31st in the draft but the Panthers are reportedly going to be taking him much earlier than that.

PANTHERS TRADE KASAY TO COWBOYS FOR '08 5TH AND 6TH
The Cowboys fill a need at kicker today with a recent trade. The Panthers traded veteran kicker John Kasay to Dallas for 2 picks in the upcoming draft. This gives Dallas two great special team leaders and Carolina now has 11 possible picks in the 2008 Draft.

The Panthers also signed safety Gibril Wilson to fill one of the safety spots. They are still looking to draft Kenny Phillips though.

FREE AGENCY SO FAR
With less than 40 days to the draft, we take a quick look at free agency and its progress thus far.

Free agency started with 5 impactful signings. The Houston Texans were the first to sign a player, inking a deal with elite cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha. Carolina re-signed its premier OT Jordan Gross, the Patriots have signed pass rush specialist Terell Suggs, the 49ers sign the best safety available in FA Eugene Wilson, and New Orleans fills a need at corner by signing former Patriot Asante Samuel.

Former MVP and RB of the Year Shaun Alexander will try to not have his career derailed by signing with rushing juggernaut Denver as upstart Michael Turner signs with the Atlanta Falcons. Just recently the Falcons signed veteran QB Trent Green which has many wondering whether or not they're still scouting Matt Ryan in the draft.

And as Pro Days keep rolling on, it's probably becoming more and more apparent to teams who they want to try to get in the NFL draft.

The Panthers may not be going after a guard OR a halfback after all after trading for C Hank Fraley (and converting him to LG) and HB James Harrison. If anything, the Panthers may go in a different direction and trade current starting halfback DeAngelo Williams and then draft someone else.

PANTHERS NO LONGER INTERESTED IN DONNIE AVERY
Houston wide receiver Donnie Avery was being highly scouted by Carolina and now, they have suddenly derailed their scouting and are now saying they won't be targetting Avery. They instead seemingly DOWNGRADED and said they may want to draft the speedy Longhorn Jamaal Charles at HB, which would almost definitely mean a trade of DeAngelo Willams.

The Panthers also dropped their interest of d-end Chris Ellis and linebacker Dan Connor.

FRUITFUL DRAFT, CAROLINA CONSIDERED WINNER OF 2008 DRAFT
The Panthers worked wonders in the 2008 draft. They draft top safety Kenny Phillips 13th overall then traded down their 15th overall pick they got from Detroit for some more picks later on.

In the 2nd round, they got their guy Josh Johnson and, like it was predicted, took Texas HB Jamaal Charles. Then in the 3rd round Carolina looked to solidify their passing game, drafting stud wide receivers Mario Manningham and highly-scouted Harry Douglas as well as receiving threat TE Jermichael Finley. In the 4th round, Carolina would draft defensive tackle Athya Rubin. In the 5th, they got kicker Alexis Serna and unknown defensive end Tony Bake. It is assmued Carolina had some extra info on those latter 3 picks. In the 6th the Panthers drafted the athletic FB Carl Stewart and Notre Dame center John Sullivan. Then their final pick in the draft was Caleb Campbell, a safety out of Army.

After the draft, the Panthers got a few rookies that didn't get selected.

ANALYSTS SAYING ADDITION OF MCFADDEN GUARANTEES NE SUPER BOWL VICTORY
The New England Patriots are being called the "winner" of the draft now alongside the Carolina Panthers. Why? Because they managed to draft the best skill position player in the 2008 Draft, halfback Darren McFadden. One expert said the other teams of the NFL should just throw in the towel now because "they ain't losing with Brady, Run DMC, and Moss...just no way"

BUT how do we know that? There were other impactful players that were drafted too. How do we know Keith Rivers isn't gonna lead the Eagles to the #1 defense and a Super Bowl victory? How do we know Joe Flacco isn't going to lead the Jets over the Pats in the AFC East? It's not as "guaranteed" as you think.

Meanwhile, the Panthers, who have been very hyped up as of recently, are reportedly "disappointed" by Jamaal Charles' attributes. He seems to be a little on the "wuss" side, according to Sabor Khan. But we'll see if he can bounce back. And we'll have to see if the Panthers can bounce back after a 27-10 loss in the 1st week of preseason to last year's Super Bowl champs, the New York Giants.

Sabor isn't worried apparently after saying, "This is preseason. All our guys are splitting playing time out there. So the team, offense especially, is going to be inconsistent. If our starters played that whole game, we would have beaten New York's starters."

PANTHERS TRADE QB DELHOMME TO BEARS FOR 2 6TH ROUNDERS
With Josh Johnson in town, Jake Delhomme figured he was on his way out. They had been trying to trade him since offseason. And now they finally got an offer for him and took it gladly. Jake is now going to be a Chicago Bear and the Panthers have an extra 6th round pick for both 2009 and 2010.

LADAINIAN TOMLINSON SAYS "NO WAY TO LOSE" TO CAROLINA PANTHERS
When asked about the Chargers' Week 1 game against the new-look Panthers, LaDainian Tomlinson simply said "They're no different. It's still the same old Panthers We're better. There's no way to lose."

Steve Smith didn't take LT's comments too well, saying "This boy has no clue. This team is VERY different. And they're still the same old Chargers. I don't think he understands just how Khan has changed the personality of this team. He'll see though."

PANTHERS SHUT DOWN CHARGERS IN SAN DIEGO, SHUT UP LT
After a 13-7 win in a hostile environment, the Panthers have silenced the Chargers, even the sometimes-outspoken LaDainian Tomlinson. LT, widely considered the current best HB in the league, was held to just 75 rushing yards on 22 carries and just 1 TD. Philip Rivers barely completed half of his passes and threw 2 picks while the rookie Josh Johnson completed 60% of his 28 passes for 199 yards despite being sacked 6 times. He also led the Panthers in rushing with 33 yards. Julius Peppers and DT Ma'ake Kemoeatu both had 2 sacks. Rookie safety Kenny Phillips had 8 tackles, his first deflection and INT, and forced a fumble. Khan decided to make fullback Carl Stewart the punt returner and he had 4 returns for 44 yards. Overall, a solid game from Carolina.

DELHOMME RETURNS TO CAROLINA; LOSES 17-13
Jake Delhomme was traded to Chicago really not too long ago and now he returns to Carolina only to lose 17-13 to his former team and have a very bad game. Delhomme completed 15 of 29 passes for 167 yards, but threw 3 interceptions and was sacked 3 times in the process.

Now the Panthers take on 2 inferior teams in Minnesota and Atlanta. If the Panthers can come away with these 2 wins, they would be starting 4-0! They have just recently decided to start Jamaal Charles over DeAngelo Williams. This doesn't impact their gameplan much since they are pass-first anyways.